DlO—Lancaster Farming, Saturday, April 25,1981 Brief answers to short questions Sheila's Shorts By Sheila Miller Whadayacallit? Words the English language is full of them. But there are tunes when our dictionaries seem to be missing some important com binations of letters that can say exactly what we had in mind. Modem English is sometimes diluted with slang and jargon from various sectors of society, and as tune replaces the writers and linguists of previous generations, some of the words are lost they become obsolete through imsues or neglect. As an agricultural writer, it’s important to know the proper terminology of the profession. Knowing a duck from a drake, a goose from a gander, a ewe from a ram, and a mare from a stallion are expected of the on-farm writer. And, for me, the terminology is usually second nature. Even as a child, I’d have to giggle when someone mistakenly referred to a bull as a “cow” And the bovine “facts of life” were learned at an early age as Dad explained the difference between a bull calf and a heifer calf and how quickly the bull calf could become a steer. Helping to care for our herd of commercial Hereford cattle gave me the lessons in farm talk and identification that seem almost innate now. Pigs are another story, however, since my parents stopped raising them when my sister and I were small. 1 was familiar with the proper use of the words boar and sow, but the words gilt and barrow only cropped up years later in my ag education. And, what do you call a bunch of pigs, besides herd? Is there another word? Well, folks, that’s the question 1 received from Space Farms Zoo and Museum, R 6 Box 135, Beemerville Road, Sussex, N.J. 07461. Quite frankly, I never heard of a group of swine being called anything but a herd. But, I decided to check with some experts. I contacted the president of the Pennsylvania Swine Pm 1 ' Cooperative who unfortunately has no further enlightenment for me. Neither did Penn State’s Animal Science Department. Not giving up, I gave the question to the news editor of our sister publication. The Lititz Record. Her brother happens to be a crossword puzzle expert and creator. After a quick telephone call to her sibling, she shared several new terms with me, gleaned from a trivia encyclopedia and a crossword puzzle dictionary. How do you like the term “sounder”? This word is used in describing a herd of wild boars. Or, how about “drift”? That means a drove or herd, especially when talking about hogs. These two are new ones to me. The only familiar word is “brood” used in talking about baby pigs, offspring still under the care of the mother. So, take your pick sounder, drift, brood, or herd. But remember, not everybody carries a pocket tnvia encyclopedia or crossword dictionary when visiting a zoo. Language, it must be remembered, is conveying thoughts and ideas through words, hopefully for everyone’s un derstanding. Corn Silage Equation For anyone interested in the mathematics of calculating the monetary value for a ton of com silage, Penn State concocted a formula. According to Harold Harpster, the formula is; Multiply the price of No. 2 shell corn by the gram content of the silage (about 5 Vz to 6 bu/ton in this area). Add to that the cost of harvesting the silage, an extra Machine Work a Welding & nHNr Fan.) Supplies Hardware M O.S. MACHINE SHOP 3816 E NEWPORT RD RDI GORDONVIU.E. PA 17529 5 1 Mile East of Intercourse on Rt 772 f Write or Try and Call 717-768-8569 I (Outside Phone) * Victor or Maco Cutting Torches * Lincoln Welders • Hog A Cettle Gates * Custom Built High Pressure Washers * Coal Fired Bucket-A-Oey Stoves * New & Used Structural Pipe I -.et SUPER RANGE VICTOR | TORCH OUTFIT 1 Complete 198 Thenew "hex" The Pennsylvania Dutci the 18th and 19th centun were known to pla> amulets or charms {commor known as "Hex" signs) their farm buildi to protect the live! building, and other possi from When Morton ..uing: a farm building, they also want you to have the assurance, as well as the charm that your building is well protected from unforeseen forces The hexagon M is a symbol /NO. 1 CHOICE OF FARMERS Call Collect Your Nearest Office Serving Central PA and Maryland RD 4, Box 34A. Gettysburg. Pa 17325 Ph 717-334-2168 Serving Eastern PA and New Jersey Box 126, Phillipsburg, NJ 08865 Ph 201-454-7900 Serving North Central PA Area P O Box 937, State College. PA 16801 Ph 814-383-4355 Serving Virginia P 0 Box 529,133 W Davis St Culpepper, VA 22701 Ph 703-825-3633 $3.50 on the avei age. To determine the gram content of the silage, divide the normal yield of corn gram (bushels per acre) by the tons of silage har vested on that acre. Working through an example, Harpster suggested the price of No. 2 shelled com to be $3.50 a X IT’S MAGIC , PHONE How quickly C_ ) ( You Get Results or 717-626-1164 Classifieds jl protection, lehind it stands ily stable company Wrongest warranty >n which 40 years on timber rears on roof i on paint and 5 snow load :g ~ mg doors) Look to the sign of the M' when you want your investments beautifully covered Contact the nearest Morton Sales Office {'isted below) today' □ Send information on MORTON BUILDINGS □ Have your salesman phone for an appointment □ insulated Shops □ Machine Sheds HlSlpgg □ Horse Barns □ Gram Storage □ Garages □ Free Stall Barns □ Livestock Barns I Name J Address | Phone No bushel. If the gram equivalent of the silage was 6 bushels per ton, then the equation would figure out to $2l per ton. Added to that would be the cost of harvesting for a total of $24.50 per ton of silage. Any questions? Please call Penn State or your Extension agent 1 always hated math. * J cts! Free weather vane with purchase'
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